The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-24

The first wife died childless. He married
again, children came, but no welded joy,
and the owner committed suicide; the
eldest son inherited, married, was and is
separated from his wife, and lives there
hermit lives all alone in that immense
building. The place is in chancery and he
cannot thus realize on it; but he has torn
out and sold all the fixtures, even the
marble mantelpieces, and ruin is surely
marking the walls. He fishes, hunts
loafs, and drinks. 1t is said his mother
sends him cooked food from Dublin
sometimes. How he lives at others is q
mystery. The peasantry pity him, for he
is harmless and kind-hearted; but alas
they, nor he, can break the cursel 1t
clingsl
We were not sure we could get in,
but the woman at the lodge was won
over by a shilling, and we drove up
charming avenue, picturesque in its neg
lect. The woman hunted up the old gar
dener, while we surveyed the castle, that
is, the outside, and gathered gowaus from
the lovely lawn. The orchard was
mass of rank luxurinoe, and so was the
garden, when the old man unlocked the
door and let us within the walls. Gar
dens, as rule over here, are walled in
and entered by doors. I never saw so
many raspberries and Strawberries and
currants in private gsrden,-but they
were growing wild. The old man said
he rented the place of the master, and as it
was his, he asked us to eat all we could;
my being an American so delighting him
that think he would have fed me all day.
Besides giving us all we could eat, he
picked two large bowls of the fruit and
poured into our lunch basket. And it
was with the greatest difficulty I could
get him to take shilling, for a shilling
looks lawfully big" to the poor peasants.
1 have two lovely damask buds, plucked
from one of the bushes, which / shall
cherish as mementoes OF the cursed castle
and the cursed family. I must not for
get though, as another interesting cpl
what is known all the country around as
the "Rectors Wall" Tt is an immense
ly high wall that bounded the Rector's
home, fields and gardens in the olden
time and does yet. The story goes, and I
heard that by the blaze of the peat fire,
that all sorts OF wicked people used to Turk
in the shadows of that wall and pounce
upon belated travellers. And that was not
all, but it was haunted. o, the stories of
ghosts and COLLINS I heard by that peat
hrel Those who had known that wall from
childhood till now. when they are grey,
had each weird tale to tell. And even
yet the ghosts linger, for only few
months ago, neighbor, really intelli
gent man he is too, WAS driving home
near midnight with midwife, when sud-
denly figure in white appeared at the
horses head, ghostly figure, with all
that tradition gives one OF those terrible
apparitions. He tried to be brave and
study it, but the mystery was too fearful,
and with his hair standing straight, and
his blood curdling, he whipped up his
horse, and how he never knew, got ahead
Of the frightful specter and drove furious
ly home, with his half dead companion.
Alb me! Aud as if this we're not enough,
when we passed an old looking tree
which had lost one of its largest branches,
our young goodman said to me, that
man was once hung there by the infuriat-
ed people because Of some horrible crime.
and the peasantry were SO timid after
ward about driving or walking under the
branch at night that it was finally sawed
off.
"Don't let us stay long in Dunnaman-
augh," said I, to my old friends. "Do
let us get past the 'Reotor's Wall while it
is yet light" "Aye, aye" said the auld
man, 81 would ma like to be passing
there in the cleaning"
And 10 tell the truth I did not breath
freely till knew the dreadful mas of
ma sonry was far behind US, and when we
reached our own cabin and they asked me
il had enjoyed the drive, I said yes"
very family, and added firmly; "but 1
pever want to go to Dunnanana1gh
again." The castle with it's curse and the
"WalP with it's speoters hal been too
much, even for me, an intelligent Ameri-
caul
The next day, Saturday, we went to
Londonderry, for was anxious 10 see
the inside of a walled city, never having
seen but one, Chester. We drove there
by different roai than we had come the
Wednesday before, and I grew more and
more in love with iceland, SO green was
abe grass and the foliag e, and 80 abund-
ant the wild flowers, while the gardens
were masses of bloom. In one gentlemau's
garden, 10 which 1 was freely admitted by
virtue of my American birth, L found in
the greenhouse Marecbal Mel rose that
even excelled that in my friends rosery
at "Point View" on the Hudson, and the
owner made me happy by giving me
large cluster of the fragrant buds.
Outside the walls, Derry is not re-
markable town. Indeed much OF it looked
TO me like the worst part of Glasgow, the
old, old part, where is congregated the
lowest of the low. But in the decent
streets l did admire the clean windows
with their snow-white curtains and the
lovely window boxes. In some streets